pollen patties

[Finman]

I .

But to get them going, nothing beats real pollen, frozen fresh.

I feeded 15 years with pollen but it is expencive. Pollen is 12?/kg and substitutes are 2 ?/kg.

When I start feeding, it is 3 weeks to start of willow pollen season . So new bees start to emerge and they get fresh pollen. However the consumption of patty continues.

The real expansion happens when new nurser bees emerge and nature gives pollen. The brood area rises from 4 frames to 8-10.

Very few beekeepers give pollen patty in spring in Finland. Most of beekeepers believe that sugar feeding in spring is enough to raise early brood rearing.

 

[Finman]

.
I feed hives 2 months. They eate on average 500 g per hive per week and 8 weeks.

It is 4 kg patty, of which 2 kg is sugar and 2 kg protein.

20 hives is 80 kg patty.

After winter many hives have a great hunger of protein. They eate quickly the patty dosage even if they have no brood in the hive.

 

[Poly Hive]

What is the point of this?

The best patty contains pollen so why bother discussing anything else?

Cummon guys the point is being missed here.

I mix pollen x 1 part + sugar x three parts by weight, mix them with a little hot water to dissolve the suggar and partly the pollen, then stirr in de-fatted soya flour to stiffen it. Roll out in grease proof paper and give to hives,

BUT not yet lads and lassies is too early. Mid Feb is soon enough, along with pound a pint syrup in FRAME FEEDERS to take of liquid stress.

The whole point is to give a bonus in the shape of the sweeties (syrup) and protein, (pollen) so that in the event that the weather is against them, they can crack on and make haste. DESPITE the weather.

Oh used cling film one year and believe it or not the bees managed to chew through that and throw it out the doors. What a mess, at least grease proof paper is organic.

PH

 

[Heather]

Finman says to freeze pollen/wax then break off wax -

I am inexperienced and never seen a pollen patty made ( something else for my Assoc to have a talk on!!), But I hate waste and when sorting hives last year and extracting honey, also removed dollops of pollen and wax. I made these into flat slabs and froze them.
Reading the advice above I removed from the freezer and tried to break off wax - doesnt seem to be any - all pliable pollen _ can I use this or do I need to chuck it and buy pollen grain to make patty - OR being surrounded by thousands of crocus - will the bees not need patty??

 

[Finman]

- will the bees not need patty??

No, they need not. They manage well with their own. It depends what you want. They adapt to situation when they do not get pollen outside because of weather.

When pollen store is finish in the hive, they stop larvae feeding.

When new bees emerge, they need much pollen or protein during their first days. When I look patty, very young bees are eating patty.

When you have one week rain and cold, at least in my hives pollen stores are used.

But as I have said, very few use patty and hives live with natural way.

*************
Do bees need electrict heating? - Of course not, but I use it

.

 

[Heather]

I am all for the natural way
The more mankind wants to interfere with nature the more it seems to bugger up

 

[Poly Hive]

You may indeed have thousands of crocus but if it is pouring rain and the flowers are shut what use are a million then? Which is what I already said.

PH

 

[Heather]

Soooooooo , is what I have in the freezer useless- or can I utilise. 'au naturelle'

 

[Finman]

.
Actually bees need 16C temperature that they get normal pollen packages to legs.

3 years ago we had the most early spring. Willows bloomed one month earlier than ever. However temperature was typical and bees cannot fly onto flowers. In western part of Finland weather was good and no problems.

A year ago it rained 3 weeks during willow blooming and bees coud not fly either.

 

[Finman]

.
THE REASON

If I want early yield, I must start brood rearing 2 months earlier that I get enough of foragers at proper age. It is one 3-4 weeks earlier than bees get pollen outside.

Wintered bees die soon when new bees emerge. They will not collect real yield. Foragers are over 3 weeks old bees.

You have there winter rape.

I have here awfully much dandelion. It is high quality honey. - So it is not natural honey, like Heather says. I like TurBo
This picture has been here

 

[Hivemaker.]

Nice dandelions,we get rape here early as well.too early.

 

[Finman]

Nice dandelions,we get rape here early as well.too early.

5 out of 10 years I get dandelion honey. In 5 cases weather are not good and bees get something but they eate it.

Our spring rape blooms in best time of summer and 9 out of 10 it gives a good yield.

Our dandelion and winter rape blooms at same time.

In dandelion it helps that it is so near ground. With the help of sunshine bees can fogare even if air is cold.

The patty feeding affects to early rape bloomin at the end of June.

When I start feeding, I cannot know what is 2 months ahead.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Last year here the rape was in bloom in the last week of march.

 

[Finman]

.
In 1996 I was in England 10 days at the beginning of May.
Rape was in full bloom. However all the time weather was +7C and rainy. In the morning I scrabbed ice from car windows.

Spring weather varies so much. Now one knows what is next week.
April is here so cold that bees cannot fly much.

But during my 46 beekeeping years almost allways willows start blooming at the first of May. There are few exceptions. It is time when frost melts away from ground.

 

[BKF Admin]

When is the first willow in the uk?

 

[Hivemaker.]

Which kind did you have in mind. info from cushman on willow.

http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/pollenthesis.html

 

[Finman]

Which kind did you have in mind. info from cushman on willow.

http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/pollenthesis.html

WHAT A STORY!

Our Salix caprea starts flowering. 1.5. It is medium size tree.

Salix sibirica is size of a huge tree. We call it "silver willow".
It blooms at same time as Salix pentandra.

Our Salixes bloom 3-4 weeks, actually inside May.

S. sibirica

 

[Bcrazy]

Hey Admin
help please.

I have a 4 page list of trees and shrubs that has;
Common name - Latin name - Blooming months - Pollen colour - Availability - source for Honeybees.
which I think would help members in knowing what comes into flower and when.

How can I get this to you fo you to pass on?

Regards;

 

[BKF Admin]

Hi Bcrazy,do you have a scanner?

 

[Bcrazy]

Yes but its tired and tempremental and gives up, so NO is the answer.

Regards;